Chapter 728 Young Tom Riddle

"All the details are written on the second piece of parchment in the envelope. You leave from King's Cross Station on September 1st. There is also a ticket in it."

In a small room, young Dumbledore was wearing an elegant purple velvet suit and sitting on the only stool.

Opposite him was a handsome boy, taller than his peers, with black hair and a pale face.

At this time, the boy was holding an envelope with a lion, a snake, an eagle and a badger printed on it.

Seeing this, Harry couldn't help but wonder, if Dumbledore had not delivered the Hogwarts admission notice to the boy that day, those things would not have happened later.

He subconsciously wanted to take away the envelope, but his hand went directly through it.

Of course, it is impossible for Harry to touch anything here, because they are just in one of Dumbledore's memories, watching everything as casual bystanders.

The young boy in front of him was Voldemort before he entered school...but his name is still Tom Riddle now.

…

Riddle did not rush to open the envelope to see what was inside, but looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes.

"I can talk to snakes. When we were hiking in the countryside, the snake came to me and whispered to me. Is this normal for a wizard?"

Hearing the boy's words, Harry subconsciously turned to look at young Dumbledore, trying to get an answer.

Coincidentally, he can also talk to snakes, which in wizarding parlance is Parseltongue.

Parseltongue was not a common talent, and in Harry's impression, there were not many people with this ability. The most famous is Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. And Voldemort at the back.

In the second year, many people regarded him as the heir who opened the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets for this reason.

"It's rare." Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then said, "But it's not unheard of."

"If you ask me, I have the same answer." Next to Harry, white-haired Dumbledore said: "Talent never determines a person's good or evil conditions, it is more like a special birthday Gift.

"It's like the Nymphadora Tonks you know. To be honest, Disguisemagus is more of a dark wizard than Parseltongue, but she chose to be an Auror.

"Although she may not be so reliable sometimes...but it is undeniable that she is an upright and kind wizard."

"Yeah." Harry smiled.

He thought again of what Fred and George had said to him before leaving Hogwarts.

Tonks was obviously an experienced Auror, but she was the last one to discover that there was something wrong with Katie. The Weasley brothers complained about this for more than half an hour.

"So Professor..." Harry hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you worried about his Parseltongue ability?"

"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "What I care about is his cruel, cunning and domineering nature, as well as his understanding of his abilities. For a young wizard who has not yet entered school, , his abilities are amazingly refined and mature.

"He has discovered that he has some control over magic and has begun to use them consciously.

"It can be said that even if he does not go to Hogwarts, he will become an outstanding wizard in the future."

Harry stopped talking.

As Dumbledore said, Tom Riddle had already realized that he was different when he was eleven years old and began to try to use magic.

When he was eleven years old...wait a minute, he seemed to have also used magic to put Dudley in a cage in the zoo, but he didn't realize that he had done it at the time.

"Kyle..." Harry couldn't help but ask, "Did you know you could use magic before you were eleven?"

"Do you want to listen to what you are saying?" Kyle blinked and looked at Harry in disbelief.

"Forehead……"

Harry was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

He just forgot that Kyle's parents are both wizards, and the neighbors are the Weasley family. In this environment, it would be strange if Kyle didn't know magic.

"It's almost time for us to go out." Dumbledore interrupted the two of them with a smile, saving Harry from being so embarrassed.

After a few seconds, the room and the boy in front of them disappeared, and they reappeared in the principal's office in reality.

"Sit down," said Dumbledore, "Harry, what is your impression of Tom Riddle?"

"Very smart." Harry said subconsciously.

Judging from the performance in his memory, eleven-year-old Tom Riddle showed a maturity that was completely different from his age.

Even when he finally revealed his Parselmouth ability, he wanted to calm Dumbledore and regain the initiative.

So even if he didn't think about it anymore, he had to admit that young Riddle was really good and one of those kids from other people's families.

…

Kyle knew that Dumbledore was letting Harry learn as much about Voldemort as possible to find his weaknesses, so he just listened and had no intention of affecting them.

But just sitting there was a bit boring, so he waved to Fox, and the phoenix immediately flew over and landed on his lap.

Kyle took out a handful of herbs and fed them to Fawkes, gently stroking the feathers on his body while listening to Dumbledore's comments about Voldemort.

"Riddle hates his name. You should have noticed how irritated he was when I mentioned that the owner of the Leaky Cauldron was also named "Tom" like him... It shows that he despises anything that makes him appear ordinary. s things.

"Also, he is extremely confident and likes to do everything by himself. He refused to accompany me to Diagon Alley. The same is true for Voldemort as an adult. He doesn't have a single friend."

"Wait, Professor." Harry interrupted, "But those Death Eaters..."

"They're not exactly friends, Harry."

Dumbledore said, "In Voldemort's view, Death Eaters were nothing more than a tool that could help him save some time, like a shorthand quill that could be replaced at any time.

Voldemort fooled them into thinking he was trusted, when in fact Voldemort never had a friend, and I don't think he needed one. "

…

Dumbledore talked a lot, and it wasn't until half an hour later, when curfew time was about to come, that he ended the topic with Harry's half-understanding look in his eyes.

Although Harry didn't understand why Dumbledore told him this, he still tried to remember every word at his request.

"Okay, Harry, it's really time for bed."

Harry stood up and walked toward the door, but stopped halfway.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Professor." Harry asked hesitantly, "Are there really Aurors who can speak Parseltongue?"

"I understand what you mean. Seeing is believing, right? But I need to correct you. Not all wizards with good intentions are Aurors."

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "I know a man who can understand the languages ​​of all magical animals, including snakes, and can chat with them like friends."

"All magical animals?" Harry grinned in surprise.

"Yes, all." Dumbledore glanced at Kyle intentionally or unintentionally.

Kyle just sat there calmly, as if he didn't hear...

In fact, Kyle did not hear it, because he fell asleep, as if he was really taking a history of magic class. Fox lay on his lap, with his neck and wings drooped, and he also slept soundly.

Dumbledore's eyes twitched. He had been a professor for so many years, and this was the first time a student had been so arrogant in front of him.

"That's awesome." Harry smacked his lips, "I dare say he will do very well in Care of Magical Creatures."

"It is no exaggeration to say that he is number one in the school, including professors." Dumbledore took a deep breath and said.

At this time, Harry also noticed something strange about Kyle...

What a sound sleep, Harry couldn't help but think as he poked Kyle's back against Dumbledore's increasingly strange gaze.

"Well, good night, Professor." After doing all this, Harry turned and walked towards the door.

After he left, Kyle also woke up.

"Huh? Are you done?" Kyle rubbed his eyes and looked at Dumbledore.

Facing Kyle's inquiry, Dumbledore just asked lightly: "Why are you still here?"

That tone was like facing an unwelcome guest.

"Huh?" Kyle blinked, trying to wake himself up.

It's really strange. Didn't Dumbledore insist on letting him stay? Why are you asking about him now?

If it hadn't been for Dumbledore's request, he would have gone back to the warm common room. Why stay here and listen to what he said about Tom Riddle? After all, he had already heard these words once... No, more than once .

Every time the topic of Voldemort was brought up with Dumbledore, he would mention it again, and Kyle was almost tired of hearing it.

Kyle stood up and was about to leave, but because he had just woken up, he forgot that Fox was still on his lap...

Caught off guard, Phoenix fell directly to the ground, and was so angry that it began to peck Kyle's calf.

"Oh, sorry Fox." Kyle apologized quickly and blurted out at the same time: "Dumbledore asked me to get up. You know, I fell asleep just now."

Hearing this, the Phoenix changed its attack target without hesitation, flew over and started pecking Dumbledore's beard.

The principal's office immediately became lively and noisy, and even the portraits on the wall could no longer pretend to be asleep and opened their eyes one after another.

Phoenix Black looked at Dumbledore who was being pecked by the phoenix and was running around, and then at Kyle who pushed the door and walked out as if nothing was wrong. He couldn't help but opened his mouth and said:

"Ha, is this the kind-hearted wizard Dumbledore was talking about?"

"Uh..." The person next to him hesitated. "Maybe the person Albus is talking about is his father. I think his name is Chris, the Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic.

"I've seen him a few times in my Ministry portrait. He's a standard Hufflepuff."

…

On the other side, Kyle, who left the principal's office, didn't know that the portraits were talking about him behind his back. He stretched out and rubbed the calf that was sore from Fox's peck.

"Kyle, how are you?" Harry's voice came from the side, and he had been waiting here.

"I'm fine, I just got pecked a few times by Fox." Kyle lifted up his robe, revealing his bruised calf, "Should I say it, it's quite painful for Phoenix to peck you."

"What, Professor Dumbledore sent a phoenix to peck you?" Harry asked in surprise. He had thought that Kyle would only be deducted points at most, but he didn't expect that the principal would punish students in this way.

It would hurt him for a long time to be pecked by Hedwig, let alone the phoenix... Isn't this a bit too much?

"Huh? No!" Kyle shook his head, "I accidentally dropped Fox to the ground."

Kyle waved his hand, not wanting to continue the topic, and asked instead: "Why are you still here?"

"I'm waiting for you." Harry originally wanted to ask Kyle what Dumbledore meant when he told him so much, but when he thought of Kyle's sleeping appearance just now, he shut his mouth.

Forget it, let's wait until we get back and ask Hermione and the others.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Kyle waved his hand and said.

The two separated along the next corridor, Harry heading back to the Gryffindor common room and Kyle heading downstairs.

…

Ten minutes later, curfew time came.

A figure walked through the quiet corridor on the eighth floor and quickly came to the gargoyle stone head.

It seemed that he had known that someone would come. He didn't even say the password, and the stone statue jumped to the side, revealing the passage behind him. The light spreading from the principal's office also shone on the face of the visitor.

It was Snape. He walked in and opened the oak door at the back.

"Dumbledore, I have... what's wrong with you?"

Snape was just mid-sentence when he suddenly realized that something was not quite right in the room.

Dumbledore's hair was disheveled, as if he had just been attacked, and there were silvery things everywhere.

Snape picked one up casually and looked at it carefully. It seemed like...a beard?

"What happened here?" He couldn't help but ask, "Did the Dark Lord sneak attack you just now?"

"It's worse than that..." Dumbledore looked at his scattered beard distressedly, sighed and said, "How are you doing over there?"

Snape didn't ask any more questions and said, "I've already contacted Draco, and he seemed a little unconvinced."

"Yeah, that's understandable." Dumbledore waved his wand, and the principal's office became clean and tidy again.

"After all, it was the first time he was entrusted with an important task, so he would naturally want to perform well."

"Entrusted with an important task?" Snape sneered, "The Dark Lord didn't even want to keep him alive. This was his punishment for Lucius Malfoy!

"Let Draco kill you. What a ridiculous task. Even he can't do it himself."

"It's not impossible..." Dumbledore said with a smile, "What Tom can't do doesn't mean that everyone can't do it. You know, I never stay wary in front of students."

Speaking of this, Dumbledore suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but touch his remaining beard.

He found that this was not a very good habit, and it would be better to break it if there was a chance... at least he had to be vigilant when facing a certain student.

"So how was your conversation?" Dumbledore continued, "Does he agree with your suggestion?"

"He should not act rashly again," Snape said.

"That's good." Dumbledore said, "The child's soul has not been completely eroded by the darkness, and there is still a chance to turn back."

"You mean he gave up his plan at the last moment and knocked Katie over?" Snape asked.

"This is only part of it, and it is also the most intuitive manifestation." Dumbledore said, "Severus, do you think who planned this, young Mr. Malfoy?"

"Draco did buy the opal necklace." Snape was silent for a while, "But this morning, Narcissa left Malfoy Manor, and no one knows where she went."

"Really?" Dumbledore glanced out the window. "It seems that Minerva is right. I really shouldn't agree to the students going to Hogsmeade at this time."

"Severus, could you please pay more attention to Mr. Malfoy in the future?"

"It's definitely fine for me," Snape said, "But on the other side, he was attacked for no reason. Do you think he will let it go?"

"Don't worry, I will find another opportunity to talk to Kyle." Dumbledore took off his glasses and wiped them.

The reason why he kept Kyle here this time was definitely impossible for him not to pursue the matter completely, but Dumbledore felt that if he hinted at it, he would be able to restrain himself somewhat.

After all, there are too many differences between the two sides. If Kyle really wants to deal with Malfoy, then he won't even have room to resist... Umbridge of St. Mungo's is the best example.

But no one expected that there would be an incident in the middle, and he was interrupted before he could mention it.

Dumbledore touched his beard again. For a moment, he even wondered if Kyle didn't want him to talk about this topic on purpose, but when he thought about it carefully, he felt that it was too far-fetched.